Chapter 55: Name Your Price

“Uncle Bao, please, come inside. The hallway is indeed not a suitable place for conversation.” Lin Haoran did not respond directly to Bao Yugang's words; instead, he politely extended his arm in a welcoming gesture, indicating for Bao Yugang to enter the office for a detailed discussion.

Bao Yugang nodded with a smile, his steps carrying a hint of curiosity as he asked while walking, “Your father should be in his office right now as well, shouldn't he?”

Upon hearing this, a gentle smile curled at the corners of Lin Haoran's mouth. He replied, “Actually, no, Uncle Bao. At this moment, besides my bodyguard waiting outside the door, I am the only one here handling some affairs.”

“You are here alone?” A trace of surprise touched Bao Yugang's voice, and his pace involuntarily slowed, as if he were caught off guard by this information.

However, he quickly adjusted his emotions, nodded understandingly, and continued following Lin Haoran into his private office.

Once they were seated, Lin Haoran skillfully prepared tea, and the aroma of tea immediately began to permeate the office.

He carefully poured a cup of tea for both himself and Bao Yugang before turning his gaze toward the older man.

“Uncle Bao, regarding your question just now, I want to be direct with you. Huanyu Investment is actually an enterprise I founded personally. It has no direct connection to my father, Mr. Lin Wan'an; in fact, he still doesn't even know that I have established this company,” Lin Haoran explained with a smile and complete candor.

At this moment, Lin Haoran exhibited a level of confidence and composure that far exceeded his age.

Sitting upright across from Bao Yugang, facing this renowned global shipping tycoon, there was not a shred of fear or nervousness in his eyes; instead, he projected an attitude of equal exchange.

Aside from his respect for the elder, it seemed as though the disparity in status and position had vanished between them, leaving only pure dialogue and communication.

Seeing this, Bao Yugang’s teacup paused mid-air, and a flash of surprise and shock crossed his eyes.

He gently placed the teacup back on the coffee table, his gaze filled with disbelief. He asked with slight astonishment, “Are you saying that this company was founded entirely by yourself, and your father knows nothing about it?”

His words revealed a deep sense of shock. After all, in his view, a market maker capable of attracting such significant attention from the Stock Exchange must surely have powerful capital and a complex network behind them—and he had originally assumed the controller of all this was at least a business titan like Lin Wan'an.

“That is indeed the case, Uncle Bao,” Lin Haoran replied firmly once more, his eyes showing no hesitation, only full confidence and honesty. “This company is my personal enterprise. From its founding to its operations, I manage everything myself. My father has indeed not participated in it, nor does he know I have founded such a company.”

Hearing this, a complex surge of emotions rose within Bao Yugang.

He was both surprised by Lin Haoran's independence and audacity, and he began to re-evaluate the young man's capabilities.

After all, being able to independently control a company that commanded such attention in the stock market was no easy feat.

“Haoran, I want to ask—exactly how many shares of Whampoa Dock hold does your Huanyu Investment possess? Can you give me a baseline?” At this moment, Bao Yugang finally could not resist asking the question.

The reason he had come here in person was specifically for the Whampoa Dock shares held by Huanyu Investment.

“That is certainly no problem, Uncle Bao. I currently hold over 1.47 million shares of Whampoa Dock, which accounts for approximately 1.4% of the total outstanding shares,” Lin Haoran replied without any concealment, stating the actual figure directly.

After all, there was no need to hide such matters.

Only by letting an industry giant like Bao Yugang understand his strength and weight could he further consolidate the cooperative relationship between the two parties.

“What? You actually hold over 1.47 million shares of Whampoa Dock?!” Upon hearing this, Bao Yugang stood up abruptly from his seat, his voice filled with incredulity.

Over 1.47 million shares, accounting for about 1.4% of the total issuance—under normal circumstances, that would be enough to warrant an invitation to the Whampoa Dock Board of Directors.

He knew very well that in the current intense battle for Whampoa Dock's stock, even industry giants like them, investing ten or twenty million Hong Kong dollars daily, could only struggle to absorb two or three hundred thousand shares.

Although the trading activity of Whampoa Dock's stock was extremely high, with daily turnover often exceeding hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars, Bao Yugang understood that the ten or twenty million Hong Kong dollars their team actually spent to absorb shares was already a quite substantial figure.

Behind this was a contest and struggle among numerous forces.

In addition to their own hunger for Whampoa Dock shares, there were powerful rivals like Jardine Matheson, market makers skilled at capturing opportunities and profiting from price spreads, and countless retail investors whose every transaction influenced the delicate balance of the market.

Simply put, there were too many competitors.

Therefore, when Lin Haoran revealed that Huanyu Investment held over 1.47 million shares of Whampoa Dock, representing a market share of about 1.4%, Bao Yugang's shock and seriousness were easily understood.

This past weekend, he had exerted immense effort, maneuvering among several major Hong Kong market makers, just to painstakingly collect nearly two million shares of Whampoa Dock.

And now, Lin Haoran had casually told him that Huanyu Investment alone controlled over 1.47 million shares, accounting for 1.4% of the total issuance. This undoubtedly brought him a massive shock.

He realized that this seemingly young junior neighbor was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

“Of course, these are the certificates for the Whampoa Dock shares we hold.” Lin Haoran was very straightforward, bringing out the stock certificates he owned.

Looking at the certificates before him, Bao Yugang was finally certain.

In his view, since Whampoa Dock became the market focus, its stock price had soared rapidly, jumping from thirty or forty Hong Kong dollars to over seventy, approaching a high of eighty Hong Kong dollars per share.

Even if calculated at an average price of fifty Hong Kong dollars per share, the capital Lin Haoran held in 1.47 million shares was as high as over seventy million Hong Kong dollars.

This massive figure represented real cash flow rather than mere book assets; its weight was self-evident.

Although Bao Yugang was curious about how Lin Haoran had raised such a huge sum of money, he knew that certain questions were not appropriate to probe deeply. Thus, he changed the subject and said sincerely, “Haoran, we both know very well that I have come here specifically for the Whampoa Dock shares. Name your price. As long as the price is reasonable, I am willing to take over all these shares.”

At this moment, Bao Yugang felt a sense of certainty, filled with confidence in successfully acquiring these shares.

After all, while they were not close friends, they were acquaintances with a certain foundation of trust.

As long as the funds he spent were slightly higher than the market price, Haoran would surely agree to sell the shares to him; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to meet him.

Thus, Bao Yugang looked at Lin Haoran with expectant eyes, wanting to know what kind of price he would name.

As long as Lin Haoran was not too greedy and did not set the price too high, he would agree very readily.

Bao Yugang didn't even intend to engage in much bargaining.

(End of Chapter)